The Obsidian Queen
by MidnightShard99
Summary: Many years have passed since the Great Act and the world of Minecraft is at peace. Kingdoms exist now and humans populate the world. But rumors about the missing Ender Dragon are spreading and an Evil is plotting and growing stronger. Because of all this, a queen, a ghost, and a guide get into a spectacular adventure that may lead them to greatness and to face their colorful pasts.
1. Chapter 1: The Encounter

**THE OBSIDIAN QUEEN**

Chapter 1: The Encounter

* * *

A man walked along the pathless forest under the morning sun. He had been walking for two days trying to find a suitable place to settle down since traveling from place to place and kingdom to kingdom has made him want to find a place he could call home.

It was only recently when he decided to finally stop moving around and rest from his travels. But he couldn't decide where to live. He had two options. Living in a kingdom would be nice since you would have neighbors, festivals and protection from bandits. But living on your own outside the reign of any ruler had perks too. After all, that is the classic way of living in Minecraft. Back then, there were no rulers. All these kingdoms only appeared in the last two or three decades.

No laws, taxes, or anyone to regard mightier than you. The world of Minecraft is abundant with resources and anyone can start living comfortably even without a king or queen to respect. In a place with no law or guards, however, bandits can be a pain if you don't know how to protect your property and yourself.

The traveler walked on wearing a brown cloak, a white shirt, black vest and pants. Then, in the horizon, he could see a large body of water. The wind blew on the man's face, his cloak swaying along. He could smell the salt in the air and he could conclude that he was nearing a beach.

With the thought that he could build a house conveniently near the ocean, he quickened his pace to see if the beach would suit his taste. But after going past the trees and into a clearing but before reaching the sand, he found himself abruptly stopping at the edge over-looking a ten-block-deep area. The dip was large and it reached the sand of the beach that was now in full view. However, before he could ponder why there was such a dramatically deep area that was shaped into a large neat square, his eyes accidentally meet with the glowing purple eyes of a tall, thin, and black humanoid figure standing on the ground below him near the side of the square.

 _Great. An Enderman._ The man thought.

Instinctively, he carefully reached for his machete inside its scabbard attached to his back. He never looked away from the creature's eyes knowing that breaking eye contact will cause it to attack him.

But something was off. The enderman did not show any signs of aggression. It wasn't jittering in anger, it did not drop its jaw in a menacing way, or even make that long and horrifying hiss that signaled hostility. It just looked at him for a second and ignored him, walking a few steps as it held a block of smooth cobblestone in its hands before teleporting in a flurry of violet dust particles.

The man immediately turned around with knowledge that endermen attacked humans by teleporting behind them and hitting them with dangerous strength. But, to his surprise, he didn't find an enderman. Instead, he found a dangerously close green creature approaching him with its four short legs and hissed. Worry flashed in the man's eyes as it began to spark and make itself explode.

"Gah!" He was startled and took a step backward and he fell into the dip. He knew it be unfortunate to get caught in the suicidal creature's blast radius but the moment surprised him enough to forget the dip.

The creature explodes while the man was in mid fall. He lands on his right arm. The hard ground made of stone made the impact send waves through his body especially at his shoulder. "AAH! DAMN CREEPERS!" He yelled through gritted teeth. His arm was in immense pain and he knew it was injured.

He was squinting at the pain. But he could see the blur of endermen surprised by the explosion. Some of them were holding smooth cobblestone blocks like the one before he fell and some holding nothing. But they were all emitting their mysterious purple dust like all endermen always do. His arm throbbed but he looked at his surroundings. He faced the wall where he had been on top of and he saw about five or six endermen as they disappeared and appeared in a hole on the wall that was in front of him. The sounds of teleporting present in the air. He observed them and they ignored him after looking at him for a few seconds. They seemed to be busy. Teleporting away once they had a block on their hands and the ones that arrived here were empty-handed. They looked like they were mining the wall with a neatness to keep the shape of the deepening hole in a fifteen blocks long and seven blocks high rectangle. The top of the mouth of the hole now had a chunk of it missing thanks to the creeper.

He kept his eyes from focusing on the face of any enderman. Now was not a time to try provoking them. Endermen only become hostile when you directly look at their faces.

His peripheral vision caught movement and he slowly turned his head to his left. He saw a pair of thin legs approaching him. The strange suppressed chirping sounds endermen make grew closer.

An enderman stood beside him. With indifferent eyes, it scanned his body. Though they did not have any facial features apart from their striking glowing eyes, this one looked confused as it eyed the human that hasn't stood up yet.

After about three full seconds of being awkwardly stared at, the man decided that he should get going and rolled his body gently in a way that he could use his left hand to get up and not cause more pain to his right.

He pushed his body upwards carefully but before he could stand up straight, he felt two limbs grab him and hold him firmly. For half a second his vision was filled with the purple dust and his ears were swallowed with the sound of a strange puff. His body felt a surreal force that enveloped him suddenly. Before his mind could even think, his eyes saw the ground again but it was different now. The air no longer smelled of salt. He could hear people and footsteps on a cobblestone road. The enderman still held him. It was looking around for something. He looked up and saw a dark colored castle in the distance. His arm nagging him but he ignored it when he came to a realization. His mouth opened and he felt a tug at the corner of his lips.

"Did we just telepor-" The thrill in the man's voice was obvious but was cut off when he and the enderman disappeared in a cloud of purple particles.

His feet landed on the ground again. His boots standing on grass this time. In front of them now was a lady in a black dress that reached just below her knees. She had her back toward them as she faced a house being built by humans and endermen.

She heard the warping sound behind her and turned around as her long black hair swayed. With eyebrows raised and head slightly cocked to the side, her lips part.

"Hello."

* * *

Somewhere, in a forest, a stumbling cloaked figure in the distance tries to make its way to a small cottage. It was breathing heavily and was clearly fatigued as it constantly needed to lean on the trees for support while it approached the house. Beads of sweat trickle down its face. With a final surge of energy, it dashed to the door. The door swings open and the person clumsily enters and collapses inside the building.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Hello people of the fanfiction world! I made this for those who want to read something that won't contain youtubers, Herobrine, amnesiacs, or people getting sucked into the game. Not that there's anything wrong with those. This universe considers itself as a real world and not a game.**

 **Not quite sure what I'm getting into but I'm sure of the journey our main characters will have to go through! I plan for this to get deep and we'll probably follow two timelines in future chapters. I don't want to spill the details yet to avoid spoilers but I want this to be EPIC!**

 **I will explain the Great Act sometime soon and it will explain why there are humans again.**

 **For now just hold on to your seats. I'm not sure how frequently I'm gonna be uploading chapters but please do make a review and tell me what you think. If you find this story interesting enough to follow, please do.** **I don't mind constructive criticism and your support is appreciated. :D**

 **Also, tell me if there are grammar or spelling errors. Hehe. English isn't my first language.**


	2. Chapter 2: Obligation

Chapter 2: Obligation

* * *

To the eyes of the man, many strange things were happening simultaneously. Endermen not going hostile upon eye-contact, humans and monsters working together peacefully, and the fact that the lady in front of him started having a legitimate conversation with the enderman beside him just a second ago. He knew she was speaking in enderman language because what was coming out of her mouth was definitely not English.

Their chat was over when she said something to dimiss the enderman. It teleported away and the man was left alone with the weird lady and his hurting arm.

She turned to him. "What's your name?" she asked with a pleasant face.

"Uh. Ethan. But just call me Ed." He replied while nodding his head.

"Alright, Ed." She took a glimpse of his arm. "I have a healing potion in storage. But we're going to have to walk to the castle." She held her thumb up and pointed to the castle on her left that was within walking distance.

"Umm. Okay."

They walked towards the castle with the lady leading the way. He held his right arm to keep it from moving as they walked. There was an awkwardness floating between the two since no one talked as they went through the street, bypassing the structures. As they came closer to the castle it became obvious that the castle was made out of obsidian. It was then he became extremely curious.

Ed didn't always do small talk. But he had questions he wanted to get answered. So, he tried to break the ice.

"So." He started. "Do you usually talk to endermen?" He said trying to sound confident.

"Only when I need extra hands." She paused for a bit and continued. "You must've been surprised." He couldn't see her face but he was sure she smiled when she said that.

"Yeah. I've traveled a lot and I've never met someone who could talk to any sort of monster. Or have even gotten to a place that had endermen do labor alongside humans! What is this place?"

She didn't answer immediately and he heard her inhale. She turned her head to look at him. "This is the Obsidian Kingdom. Or, well, what would become a kingdom. It's still quite small and I only have a handful of humans around here. They're mostly travelers looking for a new life and are settling down here. We're close to a dock that belongs to the Gold Kingdom up north so we get visitors often."

 _So I was right. This IS the Obsidian Kingdom of the South I've been hearing of._ Ed thought.

They were walking on a cobblestone path that led straight to the castle as they passed through houses and buildings. He also noticed the size of the castle and was a bit underwhelmed. For a castle that would be home to the kingdom's ruler, it was small and was simple in design. The castles of other kingdoms were WAY larger than this one and a whole lot more stylized. This one looked a little bit pathetic compared to the behemoths he'd seen. He looked around them and there were only a few people he could see. What was unique about the infrastructure was that the buildings were made out of obsidian and smooth stone. The smooth stone would be a defining feature because it changes its look and becomes cobblestone when extracted with a pickaxe. The fact that the endermen could get them without the use of pickaxes makes them keep their look as if it was never touched.

"If I may ask, what were you doing at the…smooth stone…supply…site?" The lady not quite sure what to call the place where the endermen get the building material.

"Oh, I was just traveling around looking for a good place to build a home when I stumbled upon the beach that had this big square hole on the ground. A creeper was behind me, I fell, it exploded, and I broke my arm. Yay."

"Huh. The enderman that brought you here was very confused as to why a human suddenly appeared at the site and was just lying on the ground looking hurt."

"It didn't bother asking its buddies around the site?"

"Endermen are simple-minded creatures that accept whatever they see. Good thing that one got curious and brought you here."

The two reached the entrance of the obsidian castle. They entered and went to the large chest at the far right corner. The interiors were simple enough. A medium-sized chandelier made of glowstone hung from the ceiling. There were three double doors excluding the entrance. Two were at the sides and one elevated with a few steps on the wall opposite the entrance. The windows were suitably tall and let in as much natural light as they could. The lady fished out a corked flask filled with a bright red liquid. Any traveler that cared for their health would indeed recognize it as a healing potion. "Here." She handed it to the injured fellow. He took it, removed the cork, thanked her, and chugged it down.

Ed felt the warm tingling sensation in his mouth when the potion hit his tongue. The liquid made him feel refreshed even though the potion was at room temperature. The flask went empty in a blink and he immediately felt its healing powers. The pain subsiding and flesh felt renewed.

"It'll probably take two to three hours before my arm fully heals. Depending on the quality of the potion and how badly hurt my arm really is." Ed said as he handed the flask back to the lady. "I'm curious though. By the way you talk and seem to be in-charge here, should I be calling you 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty'? " He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and squinty eyes. Only now did he notice how queer her eyes were. She had violet irises. Couple that with the way she clothed herself, it looked like she was trying to be an enderman.

 _Maybe looks are an important factor when speaking to and getting endermen to work for you._ Ed made a mental note.

"Well, I am referred to by my people as 'my queen'," The lady now identified as the Obsidian Queen said gingerly as she placed her hands behind her, chin slightly turned up, and looked away from him.

"Oh." Ed's brown eyes widen. He straightened his posture as he faced her properly. "Then I apologize for my informality, your highness." His voice suddenly sounding strict and he bowed.

"It's alright. Although there's no denying that I am a leader of a group of people willing to have me as their queen, I'm not quite… regal, yet." She looks down on the ground. "It will take some time, but I'm willing to build this kingdom from ground up! That's actually what we're doing right now."

Before Ed could think of a reply, the queen spoke again. "You said you were looking for a place to stay, right?"

"Yeah. I-I mean, yes, your Highness."

"Well then. Feel free to look around my tiny kingdom as it develops and see if it suits your taste." She said opening her arms in a refined way while a smile played on her lips.

"Alright." He smiled back and turned his body but stopped and turned to her again. "Have you heard of the Royal Crowning Ceremony? To be held in the Diamond Kingdom?"

The queen looked at him. "Why yes. The Emerald King is getting recognized and will be included in the Official Table of Kings and Queens of Minecraft." She said with her eyes suddenly gleaming and her voice raised an octave and she sounded more juvenile. "I'm planning to attend. I've never been to the Diamond Kingdom. I don't even know how to get there." She paused. "Do you know when it will be?"

"I'm sure from all I've heard, it will be happening… four days from now. Though, it will take two days to get there from here, if I'm correct."

The queen looked dumbfounded. "I thought it would be held next week." With furrowed eyebrows, a worried look on her face, and eyes darting all around, she took a second to ponder things over. "I'll talk to you later. In the meantime, go do whatever you want and take your time in making that decision." She dashed off and went out the door looking like she was running out of time.

"Okay." Ed stood there a bit confused and only went outside once she was far away enough.

* * *

"Bill!" Their queen called out from the distance as she ran toward a stout man wearing a blue shirt and had a whitening beard. Standing next to him was a woman in a simple brown dress and had a white apron around her waist. Her auburn hair kept in a neat bun. "Penny!" their queen panted, finally reaching them.

"Queen Obsi, why are you running around?" Penny asked taking a few steps forward to the taller girl.

"Call everyone for a town meeting, er, kingdom meeting. I have very important announcements to make. At the inn, once the sun is directly above us. Which is about an hour from now." The queen still breathing heavily.

"What's this all about?" the stout man asked in a deep, gruff voice. Placing his big hands on his waist.

"I will explain everything. Go and tell the others. Now. " She said authoritatively.

"I'll take the East side of the kingdom then." And Penny went off.

"Alright, your highness." Bill went in the opposite direction.

The queen, with nothing to do outside, then proceeded to a building a few steps away.

The sign in the front read, "The Obsidi-Inn".

* * *

The sun was high and Ed felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. There was a breeze and his brown hair gently got ruffled. He walked beside a wide farm that was literally beside the castle. A strange layout indeed. But he imagined himself living here. A small kingdom where fellow travelers have decided to stay in. Streets with obsidian buildings all around. _Very creeper proof._ He thought. He walked around more and he discovered the a nearby beach that thankfully had no hole. He found a mine and an obsidian farm in the castle's backyard. A large fountain at the town square. A beautiful waterfall on the west side connected to a river that passed through the kingdom and flowed to the ocean. It was a great place. He also noticed that the buildings had more style put into them than the castle and some smaller houses. Everyone that was outside was busy with building and landscaping. Some planted flowers around fences and delivered materials to the builders. The occasional enderman placing blocks where blocks were needed to be put. There were children playing around too.

It was evident that the people knew what they wanted.

"Hey! Everyone! Her highness calls for a meeting at the inn today."

Everyone stopped and listened to the lady shouting. The endermen took a glance at the human that was making noises but they paid no attention afterwards and resumed. Ed heard the announcement too and decided to go follow the crowd that was walking towards the main street of the city. Eventually, he saw the inn. He scoffed silently when his eyes read the sign.

They entered and the crowd passed through the lobby and went into a wide room with a decently high ceiling where there were chairs already arranged. Ed took a seat at the back. There had to be about 25 to 30 people in the room. He could only see adults and teenagers here. Children were probably not obligated to go to these things.

On a platform in the front stood the queen. When everyone was seated, she began.

"Everyone. Thankyou for coming. I have called you here to discuss very important matters considering my departure tomorrow." Making sure her voice could be heard clearly.

Quiet gasps and murmurs of 'what departure?' rose.

"Now, I know it's very sudden but as most of you know there is a Royal Crowning Ceremony that is going to be held in the Diamond Kingdom."

Someone then asked, "Excuse me, my queen, but the Diamond Kingdom is only two days away from here and the ceremony is on Saturday next week. Isn't it a little too early?"

"That's what I thought too." She replied. " But, I met a traveler who just arrived here and informed me that it was on Saturday _this_ week."

More murmurs rose.

"So. I will leave tomorrow. I don't want to be late for an event where royals and nobles are encouraged to take part in. The endermen won't work without my presence. The stone buildings will have to wait if we want to keep the claim that we never smelt a single cobblestone block to build them.

"Julien." She called out.

A man who wore a chest plate and had a longsword attached to his waist stood.

"Yes, your highness?"

The queen looked at him. "I trust you and your sons will protect the kingdom in my absence?"

Julien spoke in a determined voice. "You can count on us, your majesty." He gave her a respectful nod.

"Bill. Carter." the queen called the two men and they stood. "As my head builders, you will take charge and go through the layout as planned. Once you finish all the buildings, I want you to focus on the kingdom's defenses. Cooperate with Julien about this, okay?"

"Yes, your highness." The two men bowed and sat.

"Penelope." Another name. The same girl that called them here stood. Her voice was gentle and feminine.

"Yes, milady?"

"You've been one of the earliest people to take residence here and have stood by my side at all times." The queen stated. "I will trust you with the kingdom and everything that goes on around here. You know the proper protocols when something happens." She gave her a serious look.

Penelope replied firmly "Of course." And she sat back down.

The Obsidian Queen looked at everyone. And the people looked at her. "Are there any questions?"

In the small sea of people, Julien's hand rose. "Yes?" She asked him.

Julien looked stern. "Um, your highness, you said something about a traveler that recently arrived. May we know who he is and where he came from?" He sounded skeptical.

The people were not surprised that Julien was concerned with the queen speaking with a stranger. He is her royal guard.

The queen decided to scan the crowd and saw Ed sitting on the final row.

"He's actually here with us. Over there at the back." She pointed. Everyone turned their heads and found the stranger sitting among them. Ed felt nervous in their gaze.

So he half-smiled at them, waved a hand, and meekly said, "Hi."

The queen spoke again, drawing the attention of the crowd." Everyone, his name is Ed. And he's looking for a place to stay."

He got up from his seat to be polite. He tried to look reliable. That Julien guy was mean looking. "I, uh, just recently went to the Gold Kingdom and that's where I got the news of the ceremony's schedule." He awkwardly said and sat down immediately.

A hand was raised again. And a woman stood. "So when will you be back, my queen?"

The queen took a second and replied. "I'll probably be back in six or seven days."

"Who'll accompany you on the journey, though?" A male asked.

The queen signed. "I haven't thought of who to bring with me aside from Gheist. I'd prefer someone who has been to the Diamond Kingdom and has a good amount of travel experience. Is there anyone willing to volunteer?"

Julien spoke timidly. "I would, your highness, but I've only been there once and I am no traveler."

"It's fine, Julien. You need to stay here and protect the kingdom." The queen said.

A female's voice suddenly says, "You know us well enough that most of us used to travel a lot, your highness. But I must emphasize the "used to". The more experienced travelers we have aren't as… 'durable' as they used to be. Myself included. And we now have families and animals to take care of. I would come with you, my queen, if I were my younger self." The woman said in a despaired voice.

"Oh shut it." An old man suddenly spoke. A tad bit irritated. " The queen may be asking for those who are willing to go with her but it's obvious that she also means someone who _actually can_ come with her."

"Right." The queen agreed. "As much as I appreciate the noble intentions of those who want to keep the journey safe for me, it is important that whoever joins in _is_ capable of executing the task." She truthfully said. "And also, to conserve our resources, I think it is best that we pick only one."

No one else spoke. The queen waited but the people were quiet.

Out of the blue, Bill's voice broke the silence. He gave a suggestion

"How about Ed?"

Everyone started discussing it with each other. The room filling with hushed opinions.

Ed felt a bit confident now. "I just want to say that I have traveled a lot in my lifetime. Just in case some of you guys were wondering." Ed said honestly. And he sat there waiting for the verdict. He asked himself: _Am I sure about this? What am I even doing this for?_

Everyone all thought the same. It was a bit obvious. He was young and the fact that he didn't object would mean he was okay with it.

"Do you have a map of the Southeastern quadrant, son?" The man beside him asked.

"Yep. I have maps in my inventory and my traveler's instinct in my gut." _Oh well_ , he thought, _I guess I can wait for that house a little bit more._

Her majesty waited for any objections. But when nothing was said, it was obvious that they had reached a decision.

The Obsidian Queen looked at Ed with determined eyes and a small smirk on her face then asked him politely,

"How about one last journey then?"

* * *

 _Somewhere at sometime…_

" _I proclaim this land as Tartarus! And it. Is. Ours!" A young man with red hair stabs a stick on the ground._

" _Why Tartarus? Where did you even get that name?" A lady younger than him with shoulder-length hair asked._

" _It sounds cool. I heard it from somewhere I think."_

 _A large person and a young woman with long hair stood with them. "Alright. Let's start digging."The big man said._

 _They all had the same color of red hair and it was obvious that they were all siblings. The day had just started and the three eldest siblings were working. The short-haired girl had no choice but to sit on a dirt block and watch them do everything. She was handicapped and just trying to get from one place to another in a short distance was already tiring and annoying._

 _The sun shone brightly and in no time, the siblings immediately had a place they could call home._

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this long chapter. I honestly feel the quality of my writing got a bit sloppy at the middle. But I do believe I got better towards the end. Although I read the enderman article on the MC wiki and found out endermen CAN'T get smooth stone, I decided that in this fanfic, they can. It's just that it takes a longer amount of time for them to get a stone block than getting a dirt block. (Also, I'm the author and I have the power to do whatever I want. Bwahahahahahaha!)**

" **The Obsidi-Inn" I mentally facepalmed myself when I wrote that. Hehe. XD**

 **Please tell me if there are any grammatical errors or if there are words spelled incorrectly. That way, I can correct them and improve mah writin skillz. :)**

 **Anyways, please leave a review and tell me what you think. The adventure is just starting and I can say that that "last journey" won't be his last. :]**

 **Favorite or Follow this if you want to. I would like to thank those who have reviewed, favorite(d), and followed this story!**

 **Your support is truly appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3: Plunge

Chapter 3: Plunge

* * *

The sun had just left the horizon. Ed, the queen, and an odd entity turned their backs at the kingdom after saying their farewells to the people.

Ed carried the map but only looked at it a few times just to make sure they were on track. He and the queen talked but he was clearly a bit awkward because of the companion the queen brought with them. Yesterday after the meeting, she introduced him to this ghost that was cursed to inhabit the necklace she wore. The queen called him Gheist and they had been friends for a long time. Her people knew about this and just accepted it. After all, how can you deny a floating ghostly figure that you can clearly see and converse with.

Her majesty was worried that Ed would be frightened and quit. But even after seeing his face grow pale when Gheist appeared before him as she explained her slightly transparent friend, he still went with her. From the very time he met the queen, the ghost was there with them, just invisible.

Now, as they went through the forest, Gheist was visible. His pure red eyes peering through his tattered hood. He had no distinguishable facial features as anything underneath his hood was black apart from the pupil-less ruby eyes.

The queen casually spoke. "While we're out here, I just want you to call me Obsi."

"Obsi?" Ed chuckled. "Seriously, your highness?"

She slightly made her voice clearer. "And don't refer to me as a queen. Who knows what dangers will target us if they found out."

"True." The southern parts of the Southeast quadrant had reports of marauders and muggers in groups. But why would someone build a kingdom in the south then?

Ed then added, "By the way, why did you decide on obsidian?"

The queen quickly answered, "Eh. I'm not fond of creepers. The way they explode and destroy things. It irritates me. The craters they make don't make the land prettier so I always make it a point to fill them up. It becomes a nuisance to fill holes and rebuild things. Ugh." She sounded much more casual now.

The two hiked on with Ed on the lead while the ghost floated behind Obsi. They conversed a bit but normally stayed quiet throughout the journey.

Around noontime, they came to a rather steep hill. They couldn't go around it since the trees beside the hill were too closely packed to go through. Ed started to climb. And Obsi lagged behind.

"Hey, Ed." She was panting. "When we get to the top of this," she let herself take in more air, "can we take a break? You walk fast." She stood putting her weight on one foot as her shoulders went up and down.

Ed looked behind him and wiped his forehead. "Sure. You should've told me to slow down. Anyway, you wanna take a break here and climb the hill later?"

She regained her composure. "No. Let's just climb this first." She put her feet on the slope and Ed went on. Gheist was just floating with ease, staying close to Obsi.

But in the distance behind them, two figures hid in the bushes. They paid no mind when they passed their bush. But they saw the girl with the glowing eyes. They started to have intensions of ambushing them but decided not to do so until nightfall. Plus, the ghostly figure following them made them have second thoughts. Perhaps they should get back-up in the meantime.

Eventually, the sun met the horizon again. The gang made it to a wide path that was made to lead to the Diamond Kingdom. The path went on and on to the horizon yet there was still no kingdom in sight. They set up camp beside the route and the two humans slept while the ghost stood guard because he doesn't need sleep.

* * *

Inside the second floor of a cottage, a man wakes from his slumber. He was lying on the bed with a small, folded towel on his forehead. He looked around. A torch hung from the wall and illuminated the small room. A window showed the moon and the night sky. Beside his bed was a table with a bowl of water. He felt sick but was much better than before. He remembered barging in and falling asleep. How long had he been out?

He got up while removing the small towel from his head and noticed his fresh clothing: soft pants and a plain tank top. _This won't do._ He thought and struggled slightly to get to the cabinet. He opened it and found clothes but they weren't his size. They also looked feminine. He cursed under his breath and closed it. Suddenly, he heard footsteps outside and then the door opened. He didn't turn around to hide his face.

"Oh! You're up!" an elderly woman's voice exclaimed. She approached him and went to his side. "How are you feeling?" She put her hand on his forehead. He turned his head a bit to the other side so she won't see his face clearly. "Ah. Your fever has gone down. But you're still warm. Would you like some dinner?"

He looked at her without moving his head. She was short and was carrying a basket of clothes.

"…I need clothes." He muttered a bit slowly as if he rarely talked. "…For travelling." His voice was baritone and even though he spoke softly, it exuded power.

The woman was surprised. "But you're still sick, dearie. Just go back to bed and I'll bring you some food. You worry about those clothes some other time." She brought him back to the bed and left the room in a hastened pace. He sat there wondering about what he had to do. Images flashed through his mind and recalled what had happened. _That man. That horrible man with his accursed magic and sickening sneer. I have to find him and make him pay for what he has done. But if I must traverse the Overworld, I would need to find her. Perhaps she has already finished building her kingdom. I must leave tomorrow._ He is powerless and vulnerable. He hated this feeling. He could feel his anger rising again, his blood boiling. Then, he took a deep breath. For now, he must stay calm. The people must not know his identity. They will kill him if they did and he will die permanently.

A knock disturbed him from his thoughts.

"Excuse me, I-" A woman much younger than the previous one entered. She had her brown hair tied into a braid and was flustered to see a man in thin clothing. He had a nicely toned body and a face that could sweep ladies all over Minecraft off of their feet. He was unintentionally giving her a dangerous look when he faced her.

She clears her throat. "Well, here's your food, sir." She placed the bowl of soup on the side table next to the bowl of water as she avoided his eyes that were partially covered with his black bangs. "Enjoy your meal." And she immediately left the room.

The woman closed the door behind her with a sigh. Outside the room, the elderly lady was waiting and gave the younger one a mischievous smile and squinty eyes behind her spectacles.

"He's a keeper, isn't he?" She said pleasantly.

"Ugh. Mom! " Her daughter slightly annoyed and blushed.

Inside the room, the man could hear their muffled voices but he couldn't care less. He ate his food as if he hadn't in a long time and clearly enjoyed it.

* * *

It was in the wee hours of the morning when the two figures found the trio again. This time, they brought a couple of their friends.

They quietly surrounded the camp and slowly closed in on them. They were frightened by the ghostly figure but they talked about this. How could a ghost hurt you? They aren't solid and won't be able to physically harm them. Plus, they'd be called wussies by their comrades and their boss would get angry at them for losing the opportunity to get filthy rich. Yes, they could sell her at the Coal Kingdom. The people there were panicked when word of the Enderdragon went missing but kept everything secret from the rest of the Overworld. Presumably, it got out and the kingdom has been secretly sending trackers around to find it. How could no one notice a giant dragon going out of its prison? They had solved the mystery. It turned human with its magical powers and now they have it surrounded.

Gheist noticed the group once they were near enough and immediately alerted his team.

" _Wake up. We're being surrounded."_ Gheist mumbled frightening, distant-sounding gibberish into the air but formed coherent speech into Ed's and Obsi's minds. That was just the way he always talked to anyone. Ed burst his eyes open but Obsi kept them closed knowing that they might see the glow. The embers of their fire were very weak but the moon getting near the horizon was bright. Even so, their vision was limited. " _Don't make any sudden movements. They see me but they still think you two are asleep. Ed, don't freak out. I know this is the first time I've spoken to you._ " Ed almost jumped in surprise since he thought he was just dreaming. They heard careful footsteps and whispers around them.

" _You guys put your swords underneath your blankets right? Grab them carefully and when I give the signal, prepare to fight. I'm not sure how many there are."_

The bandits could hear the ghost making sounds. This terrified them. Was it threatening them? They couldn't tell.

" _Some of them are carrying nets and sacks. All those seem to be targeting you, Obsi. Ed, there's a guy drawing a bow aiming at you and another one aiming at me. The rest have melee weapons. Obsi, I'll take the three obsidian blocks in your inventory. I'll distract the archer aiming at Ed. You're both are facing away from the campfire so when I give the signal, stand up while slashing your swords. Get ready."_

Ed could see their feet now. He knows where to aim.

The bandits were really close now. Gheist watched them eagerly. They were all shaking from fright. He focused his attention to archer that now stopped inching closer to Ed. Bowstring fully pulled. Gheist fully faced him and floated towards him. This scared the archer so much that he aimed at Gheist's head instead of Ed's. He went closer and out of tension, the archer fired and the arrow passed through his head and firmly planted itself on a nearby tree trunk. The other bandits were surprised and Gheist took this opportunity.

" _Now!"_

Everything happened simultaneously.

Ed sprung up with his machete heading straight for one of them and the blade sliced deeply into his target. Gheist took the obsidian blocks and launched two of them straight to the two archer's faces in one swift motion with his telekinesis, either killing or knocking them out. Obsi held two diamond swords as she got up. Her first slash was done blindly and managed to cut a looming bandit's net in half. She fully opened her eyes as she struck the second slash and parried a bandit's attack with his cleaver. Three people in front of her gasped when they saw the glowing eyes. In their shock, she swung her sword at them.

The dark morning's silence broke with the sounds of blades clashing and wounds being inflicted. Grunts and cries of pain followed suit.

The three were occupied. Gheist used the obsidian block to disarm and punch his enemies. Obsi threw one of her swords to him. "Gheist!" He caught it with his telekinetic powers and took down two more people. The archer that aimed at Gheist was still alive but had a bleeding head. He drew his bow and aimed at Ed. Ed noticed and made an attempt dodge. But in his movement, the arrow's tip cuts the flesh of his right arm and continues to go forward. By this time, Obsi had gotten behind him and was in the arrow's way. She saw Ed's dodge in her peripheral vision and turned to face him only to catch a glimpse of a projectile coming at her and then…!

*Wump*

"Aargh!" Ed winced at his wound.

Everyone was stunned. The girl and the ghost disappeared only to hear their comrade's choking voice in pain. Heads turned and saw their archer on his knees with a bloody hole in his chest. The corpse fell flat to the ground and behind it were the two figures with glowing eyes. Red and violet. Everyone still alive saw them with purple particles floating around the girl. Her gleaming pupils looking at each of them with murderous intentions.

"So it's true." One of them uttered.

"The Enderdragon!" Another gasped.

This made Obsi furrow her eyebrows and in less than a second, she and Gheist were in a killing spree. They attacked with deadly synchronization and efficiency. Teleporting here and there. Like they were in a dance. An artistic combination of stabs and slashes. Mowing down foes in a twister of blades.

This made the rest of the bandits retreat. Obsi stopped and stood there surrounded by bloodied corpses. Gheist was just behind her with a sword and a block hovering beside him. Ed gawked at them. The sky was already painted with pinks and oranges.

Ed swallowed and mustered a sentence. "Are you really the Enderdragon?"

Obsi relaxed her shoulders and drew a deep breath. "Whew! I hadn't done that in a long time." Her voice slightly amused. She looked at Ed and shook her head. "No. The Enderdragon can't teleport. Or turn into a human. Do I look like a dragon?" She cocked her head to the side and placed a hand on her cheek with eyes feigning worry. She removed her hand off her face and looked at her very bloody sword. "Eww."

"No. You don't." Ed was still a bit stiff. He looked at the wake of the destruction. "Well," he blew air making his cheeks puff up, "that was a good morning exercise."

" _I guess so."_ Ed jumped slightly when Gheist spoke.

"Then we should pack up and get going." He offered.

"And get clean." Obsi refering to their weapons and things on the ground splattered with blood.

So they did and while packing up, they heard the leisurely trotting of hooves coming from the path. Ed went to get a look while he took a sip from a healing potion and sealed it.

Eight hooded people on horseback were going toward the kingdom. He ignored them as they didn't appear to be a threat. They were probably nobles who will attend the Crowning since two were at the center and the rest surrounded them.

The trio continued to pack their things and the sound of horse hooves passed by. But when the trotting stopped, Gheist turned invisible and the two looked up at the hooded people as they looked back at them. They obviously noticed the recent war zone. Ed decided to speak up. "Hehe. Some bandits ambushed us." He truthfully said with a shrug of his shoulders and lips flattened into a line. The hooded ones looked at the bodies and identified the bandit's brown not-so-uniform uniforms.

The two in the middle looked at each other. One with a friendly-sounding voice said, "Thorn Bandits." He looked up from the bodies to the trio. "Where you guys headed?"

Obsi and Ed looked at each other and then Ed told them, "To the Diamond Kingdom."

The two in the middle looked at each other again and removed their hoods, exposing golden curls on the man that talked to them and dark red hair on the other one. The red head spoke, "That's where we're headed."

"Wanna come ride with us?" The golden haired one immediately said with a smile.

They most certainly looked like nobles. Further inspection showed fancy clothing underneath their cloaks and the ones that surrounded the two wore armor. Ed couldn't place his finger on it but he was sure he'd seen them before.

"Ah. Sure. Just wait for a bit." And they quickened their packing speed. Obsi looked at him as she stuffed their things into her inventory. "Who are they?" She whispered. "I'm not sure but I feel like I've seen them somewhere." He replied. They finished packing and went to the larger group.

Ed climbed on one of the hooded one's horses and Obsi tried to follow suit.

"Umm…" she didn't know how to climb onto a horse. She saw the hooded one offer a hand and told her how to climb. She took it, followed instructions, struggled a bit and was finally able to get on.

"First time?" The one with the gold hair asked.

"Yeah." She was a bit embarrassed.

Making sure everyone was set, the man with red hair looked at the two. When they nodded, he announced, "Alright, let's go." And the horses went forward. Their positions changed as the horses moved. The two guests were placed at the center with the noblemen and the rest surrounded them in a cross formation.

Now that Ed could see them up close, he realized who they were. He turned to Obsi who was beside him.

"Hey, Obsi." He called her with a hushed voice and covered the side of his mouth. She faced him.

"They're the Gold and Redstone Kings!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Finally got an action scene in this story! Yay!**

 **As always, tell me what you thought of this chapter with a review. And don't be shy to fave and/or follow this fanfic if you feel like it. :)**

 **Also, I would like to thank those who bothered to even read this story as well as those who faved and followed this. Your support is truly appreciated! :D**


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